Cambodia: Conviction of Opposition Members

The United States condemns the August 9 conviction by a military court of Cheam Channy and conviction in absentia of Kong Piseth on charges of fraud and establishment of an illegal armed group. The conduct of the trial appears to violate international standards, raises again questions about the competence and independence of Cambodia’s judiciary and constitutes further intimidation of opposition voices. We urge appropriate review of this case. We again call on the Cambodian National Assembly to immediately restore the immunity of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) parliamentarians that was stripped by the National Assembly on February 3, an action we strongly condemned.